Smack: Laying the rubber from Mexico to Montreal

1. NASCAR's Nationwide Series won't be returning to Mexico City next season (read more). Is this the right move?

David Caraviello: Part of me hates to see this happen, because I don't think anything else NASCAR has done has built better bridges to the U.S. Hispanic community. But the attendance fell so precipitously in recent years, it seemed the writing was on the wall.

Dave Rodman: Considering what they said in April, it's an outright shocking move in some respects. What remains to be seen is how committed they truly are to the brand in Mexico -- because the Corona Series is great, right now.

Raygan Swan: My guess is the track is not happy and believes it is a bit unfair, but with declining attendance and soaring costs for teams to travel, it's best to let the Corona Series take it from here.

David Caraviello: No question the teams hated going down there. It was expensive and arduous and a very long trip. Nothing about it was easy. They had to swap cars in Laredo. It was a pain.

Dave Rodman: As we know, attendance is the proverbial slippery slope, right now. If it ain't the economy, it's the new car. And if the new car starts a snowball rolling with issues like we had at Indy, or perceived poor racing, look out.

David Caraviello: But I am a little confused here. I thought the whole reason this race was launched was to build more of a fan base within the Hispanic community in the United States. And they're pulling out, they say, because they've achieved the mission of building a NASCAR series within Mexico. So which is it?

Dave Rodman: They may be doomed to that "stand alone" syndrome, though -- where a crowd of 50,000, which would be phenomenal for a touring division event at many venues anywhere, is dwarfed by the Autodromo's size.

Raygan Swan: Yeah, it doesn't make sense if attendance has cut in half at the Nationwide event. But they say all is well with the developmental series.

David Caraviello: But Dave, as history has shown us, 50,000 at a Nationwide standalone in this country isn't a sure bet. One reason this race went south to begin with was because standalone Nationwide events here had such trouble drawing people.

Dave Rodman: I haven't thought about it much, but it's easy to make the leap that "creating Hispanic fans in the U.S." was just so much diversity window-dressing -- but all fans have money to some degree, and obviously that's any promoter's language, so I won't spear NASCAR for that. Attendance is such a tough topic, because unless you're the IRS or some other government entity, it's tough to get honest answers.

Raygan Swan: Still, I think there are plenty of ways to attract Hispanic fans and increase diversity outside of moving a race to Mexico.

David Caraviello: I was under the impression that the Mexico race was part of a multi-pronged initiative that also included things like broadcasting races on Spanish-language radio stations. Nobody ever said it was permanent, but I also didn't expect the plug to be pulled so quickly. But whether it's Rockingham or Mexico City, tons of empty seats never look good on television.

Raygan Swan: I hate to see the date gone, because I feel the sport benefits from the road-course events and it can sometimes be a benefit to global sponsors.

Dave Rodman: The Corona Series may satisfy what they want, which is developing talent that could move to the U.S. national tours. You have a real diversity of ages in Mexico's national series, but a kid like Antonio Perez could be on his way to making the jump; we've already got Jesus Hernandez on the verge of making the jump; Rogelio Lopez and the Pardo brothers have already had success, and Paulie Harraka is about to make his Camping World debut.

David Caraviello: So if one of those kids hits it big, then the short-lived Mexico City date may ultimately be called a success. The race did have its share of entertaining moments. That Montoya vs. Pruett argument still rages.

Raygan Swan: Funny you mention that. I talked to Pruett recently and they can laugh about it now, but he did give JPM a shout out in his childrens' book. Talking about "the red car on the track that bumped him."

David Caraviello: Mexico City may be gone, but the argument lives forever! (Continued)